Bent
by pikapikatchu
Summary: When Russell and Greg get shot at what appears to be a random attack, finding the shooter becomes their top priority. Meanwhile, Nick urges Greg to tell his girlfriend a secret with unpredictable consequences.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys!**

**It's been a while since I uploaded a new story, but I'm finally ready to give you this one! I really hope you'll enjoy it!**

**Big Love**

**pikapikatchu**

* * *

"How about this one?"

"No..."

"This?"

"No, I'm thinking of something more like this..." Russell was pointing at a bucket of peach colored wall paint as he was standing in a DIY market.

"Yeah, it's nice," Greg answered, obviously a little annoyed already.

"...But I'm not too sure about this one... Isn't it a little too... peachy?"

"...Isn't that the purpose in buying peach colored paint? Come ooooon, Russell, pick one already. We've been here for 15 minutes. I'm bored. ...And getting hungry. That's not how I planned to waste my lunch break today."

"Hey, this is important to me. My wife told me to pick a new color for the kitchen. I don't just want to pick any color, I want it to be nice."

"But this one **is** nice. Why don't you just take it and ask your wife if she likes it. If not, you can bring it back and take another one instead."

Russell thought about this proposition for a second. "That's not a bad idea, actually." He laughed. "If only you'd have said that 15 minutes ago, we'd already be back at the lab."

Greg gave him a look.

Russell stood there, thinking about something.

"...What now?"

"Nothing, I'm just unsure whether I forgot something or not..."

Greg sighed. "I'll pay for the paint if we leave now!"

Russell was finally ready to pay and leave. As they were walking towards the cash register, a young woman walked up to them. "Excuse me, are you two police officers?"

Both of them were on their break and still wearing their CSI vests. "Not exactly, we're CSIs," Russell explained. "Why, do you need help?"

She had a quite nervous look on her face as she pulled out a gun and fired it at the two.

As Greg was trying to take cover behind the shelves, Russell was hit by one of the bullets and went down. Being more of a CSI than a law enforcer, it took Greg a moment to think before he got his gun out, too. He pointed it at the direction the woman was just standing at, but she was already running out of the DIY market. When he noticed she was gone, he turned to Russell. Only now he realized his boss had been hit. "Russell!" He hurried to him, trying to find out where he'd been hit. Blood was on Russell's shirt as Greg inspected it, but Russell tried to get up. "No, don't! Lie down, you..."

Russell interrupted him. "I'm fine..." He put Greg's hand away from his body and slowly tried to get up, coughing painfully.

Two customers hurried to their side, trying to help them any way they could. "The ambulance's on the way!"

"I don't need one." Russell shook his head. "It's a good thing I forgot to take my bulletproof vest off..." He looked down on his shirt, a bit confused about the blood on it. He patted himself down, but couldn't find an injury on his body. "...Who got hurt?" he asked as he looked at his bloody hands.

"He did..." one of the customers said, pointing at Greg.

* * *

"We were standing here when she approached us..." Russell was walking Nick through what happened nearly half an hour ago. "And after asking us if we were cops, she opened fire at us."

Nick nodded as he looked around. "How many shots did she fire?"

"I'm pretty sure I heard ten."

"And one of them hit you in the chest."

He nodded. "I honestly just forgot to take my vest off... I don't even want to think about what could've happened if..."

Nick patted him on the shoulder. "Then don't. You were lucky, enjoy that." He smiled. "...Another one hit Greg?"

Russell nodded. "We didn't even notice at first. ...**He** didn't even notice..."

Nick walked away and up to Greg. He was sitting on some piles of tiles while a paramedic was taking care of him. "How're you feeling?"

Greg sighed. "This was so random, I... I just don't get it."

"I meant your hand."

"Oh... Right..." Greg looked down on his hand. The paramedic was just putting some bandages around it. "A little more to the left and I would've lost my thumb."

"Does he need to go to the ER?" Nick asked the paramedic.

"I'm fine, I don't..." Greg tried to answer, but the paramedic interrupted him.

"I told him it would leave a nasty scar if I just patched it up and that he should go get some stitches, but he refused."

Nick gave Greg a look.

"Come on, don't look at me like that. You want me to go to the ER, wait there for five hours just to avoid some scarring?"

Nick sighed. Greg's stubbornness was not that easy to take for him sometimes. "Fine, whatever."

"If it starts bleeding again you'll have to go to the hospital, anyways," the paramedic explained, a bit annoyed by the stubbornness the CSI presented, as well.

Greg hopped off the tiles he was sitting on and walked away with Nick. "Why would anyone do this?" he asked, trying to keep up with Nick's steps.

"We'll have to find out who she is to answer that."

"She didn't care who we were, she just wanted to hurt some police officers. I mean, that's..."

Nick stopped. "You should go home."

"Huh?"

"Go home, get some rest and deal with the fact that you've been the victim of a random act of violence... again. And count your blessings, because it could've been worse."

"...What are you talking about, 'again' ?"

Nick rolled his eyes a bit. "You've been beaten up by a bunch of kids who thought it would be fun to do that, and you still wonder about random attacks?"

"...Why are you being that way? It's totally different. They were willing to take the chance of killing someone, this woman wanted to."

Nick gave Greg a look. "So? How does that make her any different from them? Go home!" He walked away, leaving Greg standing there with a confused and annoyed look on his face.

* * *

While Greg went home to get the rest he needed, Russell decided to stay with Nick and help him to reconstruct the scene. They stayed at that DIY market for almost three hours until they finally finished. "You know, you should go home now. You should've gone home when Greg did," Nick said to Russell as they were packing their things. "I can take care of this myself."

"I'm fine, I don't need any rest."

"You've been shot at. You would want me to take a few days off, too."

"I'm the boss, Nick. I can't just take a few days off whenever I want to."

"That's what you have me for, right? I can handle this. Don't worry." Nick grabbed his CSI kit and walked out of the market.

Russell followed behind. "Greg's at home, Sara's on vacation, you can't do it alone. This case alone would need another hand, but we have two other cases waiting at the lab."

"I said I can handle it. I'm sure Henry and Hodges will gladly help me. Maybe Charlotte and Robin will help, too. Go home, be with your family."

* * *

When Greg arrived at the apartment he moved in a few months ago, his neighbor Mrs. Dandrige walked out of her home. "Craig, nice to see you!" She was a nice old lady with curly white hair, always forgetting his name, flashing him a smile.

"Hello Mrs. Dandrige." He gave her a tired smile and walked towards his door.

"Oh no, what happened to your hand? Are you alright?"

"Sure." He nodded. "It's fine, just a little accident at work..." He didn't feel like making too much small talk at the moment, he just wanted to go inside and rest.

Seeing the tired, almost sad look on his face, she felt sorry for him. "You know, I made some lasagna yesterday, I could warm some of it up for you. You look hungry."

"That's nice, but no, thank you. I'll head straight to bed."

She couldn't hide the disappointment. "Well... Then maybe some other time." She was a lonely woman who needed some company badly.

"Sure, that'd be great," he responded without actually meaning it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! New chapter took me a little longer than usually, sorry! You'll probably get the next one on Wednesday ;)**

**Hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

Nick knew it would not be that easy being the only available CSI that day, but he needed his colleagues to believe he could do it. He didn't want them to worry about him while they needed time for themselves, recovering from the attack. "Henry, where's the tox result from the case Greg and Russell were working on?" he asked as he walked up to him in the lab's hallway.

"I'm sorry, but you told me to..."

"I told you to get the results ready."

"...And to help you work on your case."

"Exactly. I need you to do both. I need these results, man, hurry up!" He walked away from the lab tech and into the DNA lab. "Robin, please tell me you got more for me than Henry did."

"...I'm sorry, Nick. I'm doing my best, but there's so many samples to compare. It'll take me at least another hour. Probably more..."

He rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. You have an hour!" He left the lab and bumped into Hodges. "Hey, did you..."

"I'm on it, Nick, stop asking!" he replied while walking away.

Nick was getting frustrated. Too much had to be done in such a short time frame. "Charlotte!" he said with a smile on his face as he entered the ballistics lab. "Please tell me you're better than the rest!"

She laughed. "Please. Competing against Henry, Hodges and Robin is like racing a Porsche against a bicycle. I have your results." She handed him two files.

"You're the best! I knew I could count on you!"

* * *

Most of the work on the three cases - Nick's, the one Greg and Russell were working on and the one involving the two as victims - was lab work at the moment. But on Nick's case, there was a victim lying in a hospital bed and he needed to ask her some questions. "Yeah Russell, don't worry, I got it all covered. We're already making progress in two of the cases. Take all the time you need," he said on the phone to his boss. While walking inside the hospital, he spotted Greg sitting in the waiting room. "Greg, what are you doing here?" he asked while looking at the young CSIs hand. "It started bleeding again?"

Greg nodded, obviously bored. "I've been sitting here for two hours. I hate this."

Nick sat down next to him. "How did you get here?"

"With my car," Greg replied annoyed.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Smart move driving with only one hand. Why didn't you call me? I could've given you a ride."

"Russell called and said he was taking a few days off, too. I guessed you were busy at the lab."

"I was, but..."

"Well I decided to come back to work tomorrow."

"Why?" Nick looked down at Greg's hand. "You've been home for a few hours and it's already bleeding again, you should take it easy for a while."

"The paramedic said it could happen, it's my own fault. I tried to avoid spending hours in this waiting room and ended up here, anyway. But that doesn't mean I can't go back to work." When he saw Nick's doubting look, he went on. "Come on, don't tell me you couldn't use my help."

Nick sighed. "Alright, maybe I could... But you can't, you're injured."

Greg sighed. "How about I stay in the lab for the next few days? No field work. I'm sure there's plenty of work waiting for me."

Greg was right but Nick hated to admit it. "...Maybe I could find something to keep you busy... But only if you really feel like you can do it."

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Nick asked Greg the next day in the evidence room. He was working on some of the clothes the victims in his and Russell's case were wearing when they got shot.

Greg smiled at him. "I'm working slow but detailed." Since his right hand was the injured one, it wasn't too easy for him to do some of the work he needed to get done.

After a short pause Nick had to take to consider whether or not he should ask Greg the following, he went on, "Before I ask you... you have to know it's perfectly fine if you say no. I could ask Hodges if you're not up for it, alright?"

"...Okay, I guess. What's this about?"

Nick sighed. "I could really use a hand out in the field."

Excitement was obvious in Greg's face. "Sure! I'd love to!"

"But you said you wanted to stay in the lab for the next few days."

"Oh come on, I only said that to make it easier for you. I'm fine, my hand's hurt, not my legs."

Nick looked Greg up and down, then smiled. "Alright, but I want you to take your gun with you."

Greg rolled his eyes grinning. "Sure, whatever it takes to get out of here!"

* * *

Greg was allowed to get out of the lab, but Nick didn't feel comfortable letting him at the wheel. "I can drive, you know. There's no need for you to drive me to work, back home and to crime scenes..."

"You need both hands to drive and I feel much better knowing you're safe in the car with me."

As they were driving down the strip they made some small talk. Greg was in a great mood, trying to forget about the fact he'd been shot at. He always felt comfortable around Nick and Nick had the ability to take Greg's mind off of the bad things. It didn't take a lot to change his mood, though. "Nick," he said as he put his hand on Nick's arm. "Stop the car. That's her!" He was staring outside the window.

"Who?" Nick asked while pulling over. He could feel Greg's hand shaking.

"T-That's her... The woman who... She shot at us." Greg was getting pale. He was shocked to see this woman out here, approaching two officers right now. He fumbled at the door, trying to open it. He was too shocked, too nervous to get the handle.

Nick was more shocked to see the state Greg was in than to see this woman. He watched him for a moment, then stormed out of the car. He drew his gun and ran over to aid the two officers the woman was approaching. Greg finally managed to open his door and followed. "Freeze!" Nick yelled from a few feet away, surrounded by masses of people, as he pointed his gun at the woman.

The two officers looked confused at first, but then noticed the CSI vests. They both put out their guns as well. "Put your hands up! On the ground!" they yelled.

The woman screamed as she put her hands up. "What are you doing?! I need your help!"

Just now, everybody noticed the blood stains on her shirt. The officers looked rather annoyed at Nick and Greg before walking over to the woman, apologizing and helping her.

"Wha... Where are they going? It's her, Nick!" Greg had a confused and desperate look on his face. "I know it's her!"

Nick sighed. "No, it's not... Come on... Let's get you home."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello guys!**

**Sorry it took me so long to update, but my best friend visited last week and kept me busy ;)**

**But here it is, a brand new chapter! Hope you like it!**

* * *

Nick planned on getting his colleague home, but Greg insisted on staying, so they went to work the crime scene they were going to. Nick kept an eye on Greg the whole time. When they got back to the lab, he talked with Russell about what he had witnessed.

"You think it's an exaggerated reaction?" Russell asked as he put his glasses down.

"I'm telling you, his whole body was shaking. He couldn't even open the door at the first try! ...Or the second, for that matter."

"But the way you described her, she did look like the shooter. It's natural for Greg to mistake her."

"I know, but panicking about it isn't. I worry about him, Russell."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Get him to take a few days off. He needs it."

"I can't force him to do that, Nick." Russell rubbed his forehead.

"Can't you make up a story to convince him? Anything, just get him away from the job for a while," Nick suggested as Greg walked in.

"...What are you two talking about?" he asked with a suspicious look on his face.

Nick sighed. "Give us a minute, Greg," he replied, not knowing Greg had been hearing the whole conversation.

"Yeah, you know what, I can take care of myself, Nick. I don't need you to act as my bodyguard."

Only now, Nick realized he heard them talk. "Come on, I'm just trying to look out for you, man."

As Nick and Greg started arguing, Russell was getting impatient with the two. "Shut up! Both of you." They both looked rather surprised at their boss. "Good, now that I got your attention... Sit down." When they did, he went on. "Greg, Nick's not the only one worrying. The way he described your reaction when you thought you identified this woman, it's..."

"It was nothing like he said," Greg interrupted Russell. "I admit I was a bit anxious, but I don't think that's all that unnatural, given the circumstances..."

Both Russell and Nick knew Greg was just trying to talk himself out of this. He didn't want to admit he was terrified, they were sure. "I agree with Nick. I want you to take a week or two off."

"...What?! Don't be ridiculous! I won't. It's like you said, you can't force me to."

"No, but I can force you to stay inside the lab for the next three weeks if you insist on staying." Russell had a serious look on his face. "And make you go see the lab's therapist a few times."

"Russell!" Greg exclaimed outraged. "You can't do that... You... Please... don't do that."

"You decide, Greg. I'm comfortable with both scenarios." Russell actually thought it would help Greg a lot more to see a therapist than to sit around at home all by himself, but he wanted to leave him a choice.

* * *

Nick and Greg walked out of the office. "I'm sorry, Greg, but you need to understand I'm only trying to help you." When he tried to comfort his friend by patting his back, Greg shoved his hand away.

"It's not helping me at all, jackass! You had no right to talk to Russell about this!"

"Excuse me? It was my responsibility to tell him! You're a liability!" When Nick said that, Greg's face changed. He looked angry before. Now, he looked hurt. "I'm sorry, but it's true. When you're scared like you were today you could really endanger yourself and your colleagues."

"That's not true. I had the situation under control."

Nick laughed taunting. "Really? You really think that?" Greg didn't answer. He was ashamed he actually panicked in that situation. "Yeah, thought so. You had nothing under control today. Not even your own body. And that's okay. You were scared, that's understandable. But don't try to ignore that. You need some distance from the job for a while. It'll help you deal with everything, alright? I don't want you to feel overwhelmed. It's not a nice feeling and I won't let that happen to you, you got that?"

* * *

Greg was forced to stay at home for a few days – he refused to talk to a shrink. Both Nick and Russell tried to contact him every once in a while, but he didn't react. When he came back to work, though, he acted as if nothing ever happened. He had been gone for six days and came back on a Monday. "Any news on the shooting?" he asked as he got ready for work in the locker room.

Nick decided to play along and act as if there wasn't any conflict between the two. He figured it would be easier than go over the subject again and again. "No, but we're on it. So how did you spend your days off?"

"I watched a lot of TV, ate a lot of junk food and went on a few dates with Bridget. All in all it was nice." He smiled.

"You and Bridget have been dating for quite some time, right?"

"Yup. Almost three months." Greg met Bridget at work. She was a victim's lawyer in one of Nick's cases. They were dating casually ever since he asked her out.

"So things are progressing good between you two?"  
Greg shook his head. "It's not gonna work out."

"Oh, sorry to hear that. What's wrong?"

Again, he shook his head and walked out of the locker room.

Nick followed. "You seemed to be happy with her. What happened?"

"Nothing. We're just too different."

"Two months ago you said you had a lot in common."

"So? I changed my mind. What is this, an interrogation?" Greg was obviously getting annoyed.

"Why are you getting so defensive? I'm only trying to have a conversation with you." Nick frowned, feeling Greg's reaction was not appropriate for the situation.

"I'm sorry. It's not like I want that relationship to end, but..." He kept on walking.

"Well then don't let it."

Greg gave Nick a rather desperate smile. "It's not that simple."

* * *

It took Nick a lot of hurrying around and rescheduling a few appointments to be in the break room the same time Greg was. He wanted to get to the bottom of Greg's relationship troubles and figured this could be a good moment to find out more about it. "There you are. How did it go?"

Greg gave Nick a look, but with a smile on his face. "It wasn't my first time out in the field, but thanks for asking. Everything went fine."

Nick sat down opposite his friend. "So, back to Bridget... What's going on between the two?"

The smile on Greg's face quickly faded. "Is that why you're here?"

"No. Of course not. I want to spend my break with you, no matter what we're talking about."  
"Good. Then let's change the subject," he suggested.

"...I don't get it. She's a great girl and she really seemed to like you. You said it yourself, you don't want the relationship to end. Then why would you..."

"It's not exactly my choice, you know." Greg rolled his eyes. Nick was getting way too nosy.

"...Oh... She broke up with you?"

"Not yet..."

"Why do you think she will?"

"We've been dating for three months, right? And..." It was obvious how hard it was for Greg to talk about this, but he needed to talk about this with someone. In a way, he was glad Nick was prying. "We, uh, we never even kissed..."

Nick tried hard not to let his surprise show. "...Oh." The raised eyebrows were the only hint of his surprise.

"She didn't say anything, but I can feel her discomfort. And it only makes me feel more uncomfortable. It's a vicious cycle..."

"...I, uh... I'm not sure I can follow, Greg."

"The other day, when we were at her place watching a movie, she scooted over. She wanted me to put my arm around her but..." He sighed deeply. "I panicked, alright? I couldn't do it. I can't put my arm around a woman I've been dating for months. Pretty pathetic, huh?"

Nick shook his head. "Of course not. I don't think this is anything to worry about, it's..."

"Don't tell me it's normal. It's not. And she won't care either way. I screwed things up with her and I don't think I'll get another chance."

"I'm sure she understands that traumatic experiences like you had with Novak can lead to..."

"I didn't tell her about Novak."

"You didn't?"

"Of course not."

Nick couldn't help but roll his eyes. "What does that mean, 'of course not'? You're dating a lawyer specializing in helping victims. If there's anyone who'd understand, it's her."

Greg hastily shook his head. "It would change the way she looked at me."

"Why would it?"

"Because it did with everybody else! You, Russell and Sara, the guys at the police station... My family, no one's looking at me the same way they did before. Everywhere I go I'm the victim. I don't want her to think of me like that as well."

Nick didn't know what to say. He didn't think he looked at Greg any different than before, but he sure treated him different sometimes. He was being a lot more careful around him. Just like he was now. Normally he'd tell him everything that was on his mind about the subject, but now he tried to choose his words carefully. "I'd take the chance. Maybe she'll surprise you and won't treat you any different. But if you don't tell her, you'll never find out. You won't give her or your relationship a fair chance and would probably miss out on something good, and that would be a shame."

"You're probably right, but... I wish there was at least one person in my life who didn't know."

Nick laughed a bit. "What about the lady living next door who's always baking you cookies? She has no clue, does she?"

Greg rolled his eyes smiling. "Yeah but she keeps calling me Craig, I'm not sure she counts."


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we go again!**

* * *

The CSIs were still trying to find out who the shooter was. A similar attack had occurred a few hours ago and they were starting to think that this might be the work of a serial shooter. Everyone was on edge because they felt that going around in town with their CSI vests could be dangerous. Nobody wanted to admit it, but they all were scared. Their fear didn't change the fact that they had to keep on working, though.

"Don't wander off too far. I want you to be in my sight at all times!" officer Spencer yelled over to Greg. They were at a crime scene and Greg had to follow some bloody footprints leading down an alley. Due to the recent events, the CSIs had to be protected as much as possible. They used to follow leads like that on their own sometimes, but now they had to be accompanied by a uniform all the time.

"Why?" Greg hadn't heard about the second attack yet.

"Because Brass said he'd rip us cops a new one if we let anything happen to you CSI guys."

"Oh yeah, and why is that?" Greg asked without turning around. He was taking pictures of the footprints. They were leading away from the dead body they found there. The body had been taken to pathology before Greg arrived.

"Because of what happened with Hensley and Levy."

Greg turned around to look at the officer. "What happened?"

"...They got shot at. Didn't you hear?"

"No! When? How are they?"

"A few hours ago, I heard it through the radio on my way here. They'll be fine."

"...Why didn't anyone tell me? Were they at a crime scene?"

Spencer explained that they were on their lunch break, just like Russell and Greg were, and that they think that the shootings were connected.

Greg looked surprised and a bit shocked at first, but then turned back around to continue with the crime scene. He was walking away from Spencer.

"Hey, I told you not to wander off."

"Then try to keep up with me. Why are you being so slow, anyway?" Greg asked while bending down to tag the footprints.

"I fell down the stairs at a crime scene earlier today and my ankle's been killing me ever since."

He glanced over to the officer. "Did you go see a doctor?"

Spencer shook his head. "It's fine. No swelling, just a bruise."

"Walk over to me." When Spencer did, Greg went on, "You're limping. You shouldn't be out here with me, you should be at home letting your ankle heal."

The officer shook his head. "It's fine. I can protect you."

"That's not what I meant." He proceeded to follow the footprints. "They end here at this fence, he obviously climbed it up." He looked Spencer up and down. "Can you do it?"

"...Climb?!" Spencer looked rather frightened. "...Yeah, sure," he said, trying to sound cool and casual.

Greg gave him a look. "Call for backup, let somebody else accompany me."

"Oh don't mother me, I can do it!" Spencer tried to climb that fence and failed several times. At the seventh try and with a lot of help from Greg, he did it. Greg followed at the first try, but hurt his hand while doing it.

"Dammit!" he exclaimed. "I think one of my stitches ripped open... Quick, give me something to stop the bleeding."

"Like what?" Spencer looked around rather helpless.

"Anything that'll keep me from getting my blood all over the scene! Don't you have a tissue or anything?"

"...Wow, that's a lot of blood. I better call for an ambulance." Spencer took a tissue out of his pocket and helped Greg try to stop the bleeding.

"I don't need an ambulance, all I need is a first aid kit. I have one in my car, let me just finish up with this trail..." His hand actually hurt, but like he told Nick, he didn't want others to think of him as a victim all the time. He wanted to be tough.

Spencer sighed. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

They were walking through a very dark back alley. They wouldn't be able to see much at all without their flashlights. "Do you smell that?" Greg asked.

"What, you mean the stench of stale blood and urine?"

"Exactly." Greg walked up closer to a dumpster. The footprints stopped there and the smell got stronger. Him and Spencer shared a look as they both pulled out their guns. Spencer called for backup as they pointed their guns at the dumpster, although with his hand bleeding, Greg had a hard time holding the gun at the moment. It was a nerve-wrecking moment for both of them, as well as for the person inside that dumpster as they opened it.

"LVPD! Put your hands up!" Spencer yelled.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" a man yelled, putting his hands up and slowly getting up. Garbage was all over him as he slowly crawled out of the dumpster. "Please, I didn't see anything..." The man opened his eyes. "...You're cops."

Spencer and Greg shared a look. "We are. And you're under arrest." Spencer walked up to him, meaning to put cuffs on him.

"...Arrest?! I didn't kill her! I heard shots and wanted to check it out... She was lying there and... I checked for a pulse." He shook his head. "I didn't feel one. I wanted to call 911 but the murderer came back. I ran away and hid here..."

Greg looked the man up and down. He had some blood on his left hand, which could indicate he actually did check for a pulse. "What's your name?"

"Andy Turner. I work at a pizza place near the murder scene... I was walking home from my shift and saw her... Please. I didn't do anything."

"Did you get a look at the shooter?"

He nodded. "I got a glimpse of him."

"What do you think?" Spencer asked Greg.

"Okay... Andy, I'm gonna perform a gunshot residue test on your hands, alright?" Greg suggest.

He hastily nodded. "Sure. Whatever. Just don't leave me alone..." he whimpered.

Spencer had a grip around Andy's arm while Greg got the GSR test out of his pocket. They needed to be sure he was not a suspect before Spencer could let go of him.

Greg approached Andy. "Let's start with the right hand. It'll only take a minute."

"Sure." Andy's hand was shaking. He was obviously scared.

As Greg started with the test, Andy kicked him in the knee and gave Spencer a dig with the elbow. Both men dropped to the ground as Andy made a run for it.

"Dammit!" Greg yelled while getting up again. He tried to help Spencer get up, too, but he couldn't. Instead, he called it through his radio while Greg went in pursuit.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?! Stop!" the officer yelled after him, trying to get up by himself.

The end of the alley led to a bigger street. No one was to be seen around here, not even Andy. His bloody footprints were, though, so Greg knew exactly where the suspect was going, so he pointed his gun into that direction. As he kept walking he noticed the footprints stopped in a shady strip club. He called it through his radio, informed the security guards from the club and walked in.

* * *

The strip club was crowded. Greg was able to follow the footprints to the men's room, but they stopped there. Andy's shoes were sitting in front of the door. He sighed defeated and bagged the shoes after taking some pictures before walking inside the men's room. It was empty, Andy was not in there. As he walked through the club, he looked for someone without shoes on, but had no luck. Andy was gone.

"There you are!" Nick exclaimed as he walked into the strip club. He walked over to Greg and shoved him. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Ouch! Watch it, Nick, I was just..."

Nick didn't hear him out. "There's probably someone out there putting aim tags on ours backs and you run after a suspect alone?! This could've ended badly! Not to mention leaving an injured officer behind!"

"Calm down. The guy was unarmed. Spencer patted him down, I..."

"I don't want to hear it. What you did was stupid and dangerous."

Greg rolled his eyes as he sighed and walked out of that strip club. He called Brass to close the club down for the night in order to check it for any evidence Andy Turner might've left there.

"What are you doing? You're off the case."

"What are you talking about?"

Nick had an angry look on his face. "I said you're off the case."

"Why? Because you don't agree with my choices I made today? It's not your place to take anyone off this case."

Nick put out his cell phone. "What, you think Russell will think differently about this?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Hope you guys enjoy the story! Let me know! ;)**

* * *

Nick wanted to clear this over the phone, but Russell asked them both to meet him in his office. "What's going on between you two these days?" he asked with a smile on his face.

"I already told you what happened. Greg was reckless out there. He could've gotten himself and Spencer killed," Nick tried to explain.

"Oh like you wouldn't have gone after that guy," Greg replied mocking.

"No, I wouldn't have."

Both Greg and Russell laughed when Nick said that. Russell received a very annoyed look by Nick. "I'm sorry, Nick. But come on. You would've gone after him in a heartbeat. The way Greg tells the story, I would've probably done it, too."

"...What?!"

"And I honestly don't think that's the problem right now. There's something else you guys aren't telling me, right?"

Nick sighed. "There's people out there to get us, we can't make ourselves vulnerably like Greg did today."

"I have to agree with Nick, Greg. It's not so much that you ran after that guy, but about you leaving Spencer behind. I don't think that this was the best choice."

Greg shook his head. "It wasn't like he was unconscious or anything. He had his gun with him, he would've been able to protect himself against..."

"Against what?" Nick chimed in. "A guy sneaking up on him from behind?"

Greg rolled his eyes. "Let's not go there. Spencer and I are fine, nothing happened. The guy got away, that's the problem."

"How did he even get away in the first place? Didn't Spencer cuff him?" Russell asked interested.

"He wanted to, but then the guy claimed he was a witness, not a suspect. I was just going to perform a GSR test on him when he attacked us and ran away."

Russell looked confused. He heard that part for the first time. "He attacked you guys?"

Greg nodded. "Kicked me in the knee and punched Spencer in the face. He must've known Spencer wasn't gonna be able to run after him." When Russell looked even more confused, Greg went on to explain Spencer's injury.

Russell shook his head disbelieving. "You get protected by a limping police officer?!" Outraged, he immediately grabbed his phone and called Brass to complain.

* * *

With Russell being mad at Brass, Nick being mad at Russell and Greg just being mad in general, the atmosphere around the lab was quite a bad one. When they needed to stick together the most, they all had issues with each other. The whole lab and police station could feel the tension between them and it caused all of them to be in a bad mood. Worse than they've already been due to the random attacks on the police.

"Mandy, did you find a match to the fingerprints on the gun?" Greg asked as he walked into the break room. The gun Andy Turner used was found inside the dumpster he hid in.

Mandy looked up from her coffee cup. "I uh... I did but..."

"But what? Is there a problem with it?"

"Yeah. Well, not with the evidence. I was told not to discuss the case with you."

Greg tried to stay calm, but was raging on the inside. "Did Nick tell you this?"

"...I'm sorry. He was pretty mean when he told me, I don't want to upset him any more."

He rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous. Just hand me the results, I'll take care of Nick."

Mandy frowned. "I'd rather not. But I'll hand them over to Nick and... then you can take care of him, alright?" She smiled insecure.

"That's a good idea. But I have one that's even better. I'll go into the lab, take them myself and Nick can shove it. Sounds good, right?" He left with an annoyed grin on his face.

* * *

Greg tried to collect the results from Mandy's lab, but he couldn't find it. He didn't know she was carrying them around. With this defeat he wanted to get some trace evidence next. "Hodges!" he said as he saw the lab tech passing by. When he noticed Greg approached him, he gained speed in order to get away from him. "Hey, stop!" Greg followed him into the trace lab. "Give me the results!"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about. I processed a lot of evidence today and I..." Hodges said, trying to keep Greg away from the results.

"Stop these games. Where are they? I don't care what Nick told you, this is my case!"

"It isn't", Nick said from behind. "I talked this over with Russell again. He agrees with me, you should not be working that case."

"Yeah? And why is that?"

Nick shrugged. "Why don't we just call it a conflict of interest. The main suspect attacked you, you don't have enough emotional detachment from the case anymore."

"...You can't be serious! Russell agreed to that?!"

"He did. And you better accept it if you want to get out in the field again anytime soon."

Greg couldn't believe the lack of emotion Nick was presenting. "Hodges, give us a minute, will you?" When Hodges walked out of the lab, Greg closed the door behind him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you doing this?"

"Like I said, conflict of interest. We don't want to give this guy's lawyer anything against us."

"Cut the crap. There would be no conflict of interest. He kicked me, it happens. It never stopped us from working a case before."

"Well then maybe it's a good time to start."

Greg tried to calm down a bit. "Alright, I get it. You're angry with me because I..."

Nick interrupted him. "I'm not angry with you. I just don't think you should keep on working this case anymore."

"If that's your way of trying to protect me..."

"I'm not. Just stay away from the case."

When Nick turned around to get the door, Greg stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Don't do this to me. I just told you how powerless I feel at the moment and you go and do something like this?!"

"We really shouldn't mix our private conversations with our work decisions, Greg. As a friend, I feel for you. But as a colleague I have to make this decision without thinking about how it'll make you feel."

* * *

"It was your decision, not mine." Russell was sitting in his office talking to Nick.

"I know... I didn't know it was going to be that hard," Nick said with a sad look on his face.

"He'll find out eventually, why not today?"

"Because. He's not in a good place right now."

"Well, the way you're handling this obviously isn't helping him, now, is it?"

"Yeah but only because he doesn't know what I'm trying to keep him away from."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the review! :) Here we go again!**

* * *

The CSIs had been called to a murder scene with five victims. It was a very big house that required Russell, Nick, Sara and Greg to work the case.

As Sara was taking on the bodies, Russell and Greg were working the house and Nick was checking the outside for evidence. They spent almost two hours there when Nick walked up to Russell, whispering to him. Greg noticed and started to wonder what this was about. They usually said everything concerning a case out loud for everyone to hear. From Greg's point of view, it looked like the two were fighting over something. When he walked up to them, they instantly stopped talking. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Russell said, trying to keep a straight face. "I think it's time to get some of the evidence to the lab. Could you do that for me?"

"Well, I still got a lot of work to do. I'm only halfway done with the living room and I..."

Nick interrupted him. "I'll take over."

Greg looked both surprised and irritated. "You done with the exterior already?"

Nick nodded.

"Then why don't you drive over to the lab?"

"Because I asked you to do it," Russell chimed in. He hated to be that way, but it was necessary.

"...Sure." Greg gave both a look. "Just let me finish here and I'll be out of your sight."

"...Now, please. I'll finish up for you."

Greg walked away, rolling his eyes.

"We should've told him," Russell said with a judging look.

Nick watched Greg leave. "We'll tell him when it's over."

* * *

After they returned from the crime scene, the CSIs were all sitting in the break room, trying to enjoy the few minutes they had to relax. Things between Nick and Greg were getting better because both tried to ignore the differences they recently had come across. Russell walked in with some case files. "Greg, you got a moment?"

Greg got off his seat and walked over to Russell. "Sure, what's up?"

Russell sighed. "Three CSIs is enough for the case we were working on earlier. I got something else for you to work on."

"...You're pulling me off the case?"

"Yeah, but because I need you for this one."

Greg took a look into the files, already knowing that this would be a boring case. "A burglary in Henderson?"

Russell nodded, trying to hide his insecurity at the moment. "From what officer Brimley said it's a quite confusing case, so..."

"Officer? Not even a detective looked into this, huh?"

"I'm sure you're gonna find out who did it." He turned around to the others. "Alright, let's get back to work."

"First the Turner case, now this one. What's going on? ...This is what you and Nick were whispering about at the crime scene, isn't it? You told him to get me off the case, Nick!"

Nick walked over to the two. "Don't be ridiculous. There's no conspiracy going on. I'm sure Russell has his reasons."

"Like what? Taking me off of the most important case right now to investigate some burglary that could wait another few days?!"

Russell cleared his throat. "We don't need four CSIs on the other case."

"But why me? Again!"

"...Because you're the least experienced one of us."

Greg laughed humorlessly. "I'm doing this for seven years, I have enough experience."

"Well if that's true you should be aware that every case is worth looking into, right? The Lawsons will appreciate it, I'm sure. Now get your kit and drive over there."

Frustration was building up in Greg. "Sure, whatever you say, boss." He walked out, obvioulsy furious.

"Wow, what was that about?" Sara asked. She didn't have a clue what was going on between the three.

"Don't tell Greg, but I found footprints at the scene that seem to match Andy Turner's," Nick explained.

"...So?"

* * *

"Why won't you use your black light or something?!" Mrs. Lawson, the burglary victim, asked upset.

"We're doing everything we can to find the burglars, Mrs. Lawson," Greg replied without trying to hide his indifference.

Mrs. Lawson kept following him around and watched him do his work. "Yeah you say you do everything but you don't. No black light, nothing of that chemical stuff you guys spray all over crime scenes..."

"Ma'am, please wait in the kitchen while I'm at work."

She didn't even listen, she went on with her rant. "It took the police two hours to come here. Then we had to wait another three hours for you and now you won't even take all the tests you can!"

"...Ma'am, I get that you're upset. Just be upset somewhere else, I need to concentrate," he said in a calm way.

She walked out of the room, even more furious than she was before, and walked back in with her husband.

"Why are you yelling at my wife?! She's upset and scared already, no need for you to add to her stress level!"

Greg sighed. "I didn't yell at her, I just asked her to leave the room so that I can work in here."

"So you're telling my wife where to go in her own home?!"

Greg couldn't believe the two. "No, of course not," he said, knowing any reasoning wouldn't help with them. "I apologize, but I need some space to do my job."

"Yeah? Well that's too bad, because I'm not going anywhere..." the husband said while sitting down on a chair. He looked at Greg all stoic.

"...Lovely," he replied sarcastically.

* * *

Greg was in the evidence room working on what he had found at the Lawson's home. Russell walked in with a faint smile on his face. "Hey. How'd it go?"

Greg gave him a look. "Did you know these two were insane?"

"No." Russell chuckled as he patted Greg's back. "I'm sorry. Any leads yet?"

"Well, there's one interesting evidence I collected." He handed his boss a fingerprint. "This is a match to Andy Turner's. Funny thing is, there isn't anything missing at the house." He went on about this until he noticed the appalled look on Russell. "...What is it?"

"That son of a bitch..." Russell hurried out of the room.

"What... Where are you going?"

Russell walked into the break room where Nick was sitting in, and Greg followed behind. "I need to talk to you," he said to Nick.

Nick got off his seat, following Russell back to the evidence room. Again, Greg tagged along. "Would somebody please tell me what's going on?"

"Greg, could you get us some coffee?" Russell asked. The shock was still visible in his face.

"...Coffee? Wha... This is my case."

"Yeah. And I need to discuss it with Nick. You can join us once you got us some coffee." Russell slammed the door right in front of Greg's face.

He tried to open the door again, but it was locked. Furious, he walked into the break room, got two cups of coffee and walked back to the evidence room. "Got your stupid coffee, now open up!"

Russell opened the door but stopped Greg from walking in. "You're not supposed to drink in here, Greg."

"...You just told me to get you coffee!"

"Yeah but not in here. Get it into my office, we'll meet you there in a minute."

"...Is this some kind of prank?"

"Go. We'll meet you there. Promise."

* * *

Almost ten minutes later, they walked into the office. "There you are. Would you finally tell me what's going on? Why are you trying to keep me away from this Turner guy?"

"...You know?" Russell asked surprised.

"...Of course he does, Russell. He's not stupid." Nick sat down next to Greg. "We can't explain why a fingerprint of his ended up at your scene, but... he killed the woman that shot at you and Russell."

Greg shook his head in confusion. "...She... what? I'm sorry, I... The woman from the DIY market? ...She's dead?"

"We don't know why. All we know is that Turner did it."

Greg looked down on his injured hand. After staring at it for a while, he looked back up to his colleagues. "So I'm off that case, too."

Russell and Nick looked at each other a bit surprised. "...Don't you have any other questions?"

"Well..." Greg thought about it for a moment. "Is there any other case I can work on?"

"Greg..." Russell cleared his throat. "Did you understand what we just told you?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Because your reaction doesn't seem too healthy and..."

"Why? How do you want me to react?"

"Any kind of reaction would do, really," Nick said puzzled.

"Sorry. I'll try better next time," he replied sarcastically as he got off his seat. "Can I go now?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I hope you're having a great Saturday! Here's a new chapter to make sure this day has at least one highlight ;)**

* * *

Two hours had passed since Russell and Nick broke the news to Greg and the young CSI acted like nothing happened.

"I think he's been crying," Nick said as he sat down opposite Russell in the evidence room. "I just saw him walk out of the locker room, his eyes looked red."

"He's pulling a double today, he could be tired," Russell suggested. "But either way, if he doesn't want to talk about it you'll have to accept that."

"I know, but I'm worried."

Greg knocked on the door as he walked in. "Sorry to interrupt, but since there's no case for me anymore and I'm done with my paperwork I was wondering if I could beat it early today?"

"...Sure. Of course." Russell looked a bit surprised. Not only was this a question he didn't hear Greg ask in ages, he was also looking unusually upbeat.

"Thanks, boss!" he said with a big smile on his face as he walked away.

* * *

Two days later, on Greg's day off, Nick decided to pay him a visit at home. After he knocked on the door several times, Greg finally opened. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was in the neighborhood on my way to work and decided to drop by and see how you're doing."

Greg raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Come in. I just fixed myself something to eat. You want some?"

Nick shook his head smiling. "I'm fine, thanks. So... How are you?"

"This is about the dead girl, right? The one who shot at Russell."

"...And you. Yeah."

"Do you know what happened to her?"

"We have our theories but... that's not what I wanted to talk about."

Greg took a bite from his sandwich. "I kind of got you worried by the way I handled the news of her death, huh?"

"Well... Yeah, you did."

"I'm sorry." He smiled. "I gotta admit, I was caught off guard. I didn't expect that. But... She's just another victim that also used to be a suspect."

"And that's it?"

Greg nodded.

"Do you feel some kind of relief or..."

"Relief?" Greg frowned.

Nick shrugged his shoulder. "Yeah, sure. Russell said he did, so..."

"...Russell said he felt relieved over someone else's death?"

"Mhm."

Greg raised an eyebrow. This didn't sound like Russell, but it did sound a lot like Greg's feeling right now. He confided in Russell about his vengeful feelings lately. "...No, I don't feel relieved. I don't feel anything about this in particular."

Nick was getting a bit frustrated. He looked Greg straight in the eyes and saw a lot of feelings, not indifference like he claimed.

Greg noticed his friend's frustration building up. "You know, it kind of helped me. It made me realize... The way I deal with these things have to change. I put you and Russell in this awful position where you had to lie to me because you were worried I wouldn't be able to handle the news. I don't want you to see me as a victim all the time, but it's not your fault you do. It's mine."

Nick nodded. He didn't know how to respond to that, so he decided to change the subject. "So... How are things with Bridget?"

"Are you writing a book or something?" Greg asked jokingly.

"Come on, man, I'm your friend, I want to know what's going on in your life at the moment."

Greg nodded as he took another bite from his sandwich. "She dumped me."

"I'm so sorry Greg. Don't regret you didn't tell her about Novak... You just weren't meant to be."

"Oh I did tell her. I took your advice, after all."

"...What?"

"Yeah. I figured I should try anything to keep her, you know?"

Nick looked shocked. "...Well, what happened?"

"Turns out that when you're a lawyer specializing on victims... The last thing you need is having to listen to a victim whine all day long when you're off-the-clock."

"...I'm sure that's not what she meant."

"I guess in that case she shouldn't have said it."

"...She said **that**?"

Greg laughed humorlessly. "She tried to make it sound nice but... That's exactly what she said."

"...I'm so sorry. I... I don't know what to say."

"It's alright. I guess it's better to keep people like her out of my life, anyway. And it's not like I don't understand her. She has a point."

"The hell she does! Come on, Greg. Some very traumatic things happened to you. It's part of who you are and if she can't acce..."

Greg interrupted him. "It's **not** part of who I am! Neil Novak doesn't define me."

Nick looked surprised at Greg. "That's not what I said. All I meant was that we're all carrying around our baggage and you're no exception. She has some, too, I'm sure. And... I wanted to tell you this for a long time now... The way you handled it all is something you can be proud of."

"Thanks, but that's not true. If I did handle it all well I would still be with Bridget."

"Do you even want that, now that you know how she feels about these things?"

Greg shrugged. "I just want to be happy."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Okay, so here's another chapter... and here's why: :)**

**Not only does this give you the great opportunity to know I have nothing better to do than upload a new chapter on a Saturday night (that's dedication!), but it will also give me an opportunity to let you know about my Forum. I'm not sure I'm using this great gimmick in the correct way, so if I don't, please tell me ;) but I'm looking for an artistic reader who might want to help me by doing illustrations for my story. For a little more info please go here: (fanfiction)myforums/pikapikatchu/2626256/**

**If you don't care about all that, just read the story ^^ enjoy!**

* * *

"I still don't know who our Jane Doe is, but her DNA was found at a crime scene three months ago." Robin was walking next to Russell through the lab's hallways.

"Yeah? What kind of scene?"

"Backseat of a serial rapist's car."

Russell looked surprised. "Was she a victim or his accomplice?"

"We're not sure. They found her vaginal fluid and some blood, it suggests she was a victim, but it's not for sure." She handed him the files. "I guess you'll have to go and ask him."

* * *

As Greg walked by the interrogation room he glanced through the window, detecting Russell talking to a man he thought he knew from somewhere. He stopped in front of the window, staring inside, thinking. When the man got up and tried to throw his chair at Russell, he couldn't help but smile. When Russell and Brass walked out of the interrogation room, Greg decided to approach them. "Russell, what's this guy doing in here?"

"We're questioning him in our case, why?"

"I arrested him months ago. What does he have to do with the shootings? ...He didn't break out of prison, did he?"

Russell shook his head. "No, but he... he was involved with our Jane Doe. We're trying to find out how."

"What did he tell you?"

"Nothing. He threw his chair at our heads," Brass explained.

"I saw that." Greg smirked. "Want me to try?"

"You? You're off our case, you know that. And I bet you're the last person this guy wants to talk to right now."

"I wouldn't bet my money on that, Brass." Greg grinned. "He always said I reminded him of his brother and he was unusually nice to me."

"You bonded with that guy?" Russell raised his eyebrows disbelieving. The way he just experienced that man, he didn't believe he could be nice to anyone.

"I tried to be respectful, despite of what horrible things he did. We got much more information out of him that way."

Brass and Russell looked at each other thoughtful. "I don't know, Greg. Would you really be okay to talk to him?"

"Sure, if it helps. Just let me give it a try, alright?"

* * *

"...Sanders, right? Greg Sanders!" the rapist, Daniel Watts, exclaimed joyful. "I never thought I'd say this to a police guy, but... It's good to see you!" He opened his arms, meaning to go over and hug Greg, but an officer kept him from doing so. With 6'6'', he was a tall guy that did boxing as a workout. His physique was quite intimidating.

"Hey Dan," Greg said with a faint smile on his face. Him, Russell and Brass sat down.

"...These clowns are your colleagues?" Dan asked grinning.

"Well, uh, he's my boss, actually." Greg pointed at Russell. "They wanted to ask you a few questions but you didn't even let them."

"I won't tell them anything."

"We'd really appreciate your help identifying a victim of ours. You might've known her." Greg handed him a file with pictures of the Jane Doe, but Dan didn't even look at them. He threw them across the room. "I won't tell these guys anything." He gave Brass and Russell a vicious look.

"Then tell me."

"Nah-ah, not with them in the room."

Greg sighed, then leaned in to Russell to whisper to him. They whispered for a moment until they agreed that they'd leave the room. "See? They're gone. Now please, take a look at these pictures and tell me if you know her name."

Dan looked at the pictures. The look on his face changed. "...Why do you think I know her?"

"Because her DNA was found in your car three months ago when I processed it."

"And you're looking into it now?" he asked confused.

"We didn't have any samples to compare it with back then. Now that she's dead, we have."

Dan shrugged.

"Come on, she was in your car and you had sex with her. Whether or not it was consensual... I don't know, but that doesn't matter at the moment."

Dan seemed to be shutting down. He didn't want to answer any of Greg's questions despite being quite fond of the CSI.

Greg showed Dan his injured hand, hoping to prompt some of the brotherly feelings he had towards him. "See that? That's on her. She shot at me."

Dan frowned. "...**She**... did this?"

Greg nodded. "So can you help me?"

"Sorry, man. I can't."

"Well then..." Greg collected the pictures of the victim lying around the table with a disappointed look on his face.

"You know..." Dan said as he grabbed Greg's injured hand. The officer wanted to intervene, but Greg stopped him with a hand sign. "Jeff finished college last week." He had a big smile on his face as he talked about his little brother. "He's gonna be a hot-shot lawyer! I know it!"

"That's great, Dan," Greg said with a sad smile on his face. "Tell him I said hello when he visits."

* * *

Three days passed and Greg was working on another case at the moment as he started to feel a little bit better over the break up with Bridget. But all the work he'd done would go to waste in the next few minutes. He walked into the evidence room to ask Nick something about a case and was shocked to find Bridget talking to him. For a moment he thought about just turning around and walking away, but he was curious to find out what she was doing here. Plus, he wanted to work on being stronger. "Hey," he said, trying to act casual as he walked in.

"Hi Greg. Good to see you," Bridget said with an insecure smile on her face.

Greg looked at her for a second, then at Nick. "I need to talk to you about my case."

Before Nick could reply, Bridget took a few steps towards Greg. "I need to talk to you."

"What were you thinking coming here just because you wanted to talk to me? I'm busy."

"You wouldn't return my calls. I'm sure you can spare me two minutes."

Greg sighed. "Alright, two minutes... Follow me." They walked into the empty break room. "What do you want?"

"I want to apologize, Greg. I'm so sorry about what I said. I didn't mean it."

Greg crossed his arms. "Why are you saying that now?"

"Because I miss you. I took the last few days to think back on the time we spent together. It was nice, I enjoyed it. I don't want it to end."

He laughed humorlessly. "Are you really that lonely? You'd settle for me rather than to be alone?"

Bridget shook her head. "No. It's not that. I really like you. You can't blame me for being shocked over that bomb you dropped on me!"

"And it took you days to progress? Why can't you be honest with me... and yourself? You don't want to be with someone damaged. That's okay, I understand that."

"No. I can handle it. I want to!"

Greg rolled his eyes. "I didn't even tell you half the story and you freaked out. When you hear all of it, I'm sure you'll change your mind again."

She took a few steps to be close to Greg. "I'm sorry." She gently grabbed Greg's injured hand and stroke it. "I was caring and sympathetic when you got shot, right? Give me some time to adjust, that's only fair. And trust me, your patience will pay out..." When she tried to kiss him, Greg gently - but firmly - shoved her back.

"I think it's better for you to go now."

Without saying a single word, Bridget slapped him and stormed out of the break room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Greg's emotions start to get the better of him. Let's hope he doesn't do anything stupid because of it... ;)**

* * *

An hour after the altercation between Greg and Bridget, Nick found his colleague at the steps of the police department, sitting there with a thoughtful look on his face. "I thought there was something you wanted to ask me about," Nick said with a smile on his face. "...Your case, I believe?"

"I'm on a break," Greg replied.

"...For over an hour? Does Russell know?"

Greg looked up to Nick. "Does he have to know about everything?"

Nick sat down next to his friend. " 'Course not. So, what happened?"

Greg was silent for a moment. "...What did you two talk about?"

"Nothing in particular. Small talk."

"...And that's it?"

Nick sighed. "She might've mentioned that she was here to talk you into getting back together with her..." He cleared his throat. "And she might've asked me to talk to you if it didn't work."

"...Is that why you're here?"

"If you wouldn't have walked in when you did I would've told her that I'd never do that. In fact, had her scheme worked, I would've talked you out of it."

Greg smiled. "Thanks."

"So... Do you wanna talk about it?"

He shook his head with a desperate smile on his face. "Not now."

"...You wanna cry?"

Greg gave him a rather sarcastic smile.

"Well..." Nick said as he got up. "You know where to find me." He walked away after patting Greg on the shoulder.

* * *

Daniel Watts, the rapist who Greg tried to get some information from wanted to talk to the CSI again. He claimed he remembered some information that might be helpful. When Greg walked into the interrogation room, just like the last time, Dan tried to hug him. This time it was Brass who held him back by not-so-gently pushing him back. "Sit back down again."

The smile on Dan's face quickly faded as he looked angry at Brass. "Hey, I'm here to help."

"Yeah but there will be no touching."

"And there won't be no talking with you present, pig."

Greg sat down. "Please, Dan. Sit down."

"I want him out, first." Dan wasn't too fond of the police in general. Brass' aggressive attitude didn't do anything for him, either.

"I'd rather have him in here, if you don't mind," Greg said in a soft tone.

"...What for? Protection? You think you need protection from me?"

"You are, after all, a perverted, violent felon." Brass grinned at him. He loved teasing people like Dan. It didn't necessarily help his cause, but it was fun.

And just like Brass expected, Dan reacted extremely aggressively. He knocked his fists at the table several times, yelling at him.

Greg sat there, quite calm, rolling his eyes. "Was that really necessary?" he whispered to Brass. "Alright, Dan, calm down!" he said to the upset felon. "You wanted to help us with some information, shoot it."

"Send him out. You did it the last time, why not now?"

Greg sighed. He asked Brass to talk outside in private. They discussed this for a few minutes, then decided to do what Dan asked for. He walked back inside without Brass. "Alright. He's gone, now tell me what you know." He sat down opposite Dan again.

Dan smiled at him. "I'll have to ask you for a favor first."

Greg expected something like more hours in the prison yard or something like that. "Sure."

"My brother's getting married in two months... I want to be there."

The CSI looked surprised. "...You want a day parole."

"Yeah, someone from the prison or the police could come with me to make sure everything goes fine." His smile got bigger. "Maybe you could be that guy! It would be great if you'd met my brother."

"...Captain Brass knows a lot more about these things than I do, if you wanted to discuss this you shouldn't have sent him out. But I guess I can tell you this, as well... there's no way we'll let you out for a wedding."

"Why not? I'm helping you catch a murderer, it's not too much to ask for."

"Oh I think it is. You got the nerve to ask for something like this?! You're a rapist. We... No, **I **won't let you anywhere near **any** woman."

"Who the hell do you think you are, talking to me like that?!" Dan was getting angry. He jumped off of his seat, making threatening gestures with his whole body.

Greg got off his seat, as well, yelling at Dan. "You don't even realize what you did to these women, do you?! Not to mention the physical pain you brought on them, but the psychological damage... it'll haunt them forever. And you honestly think we'd let you out for a **god damned wedding**?! Think again. Never **ever** gonna happen!"

Dan flipped the table over and came at Greg, grabbed his shoulders and pushed him on the ground.

* * *

"I'm sorry..." Greg said, sitting in the interrogation room together with Brass. The table was still upside down and they were sitting on the floor. "I pushed him, I don't know why I did it..."

"I'm way too long on this job. I understand. I lost my cool a few times, too. Feels good, though, right?" Brass gave him a faint smile.

"...It does. I regret not getting any information. I regret letting him get a chance to attack me. But I certainly don't regret yelling at that guy."

"Who knows if he even had any information in the first place?"

Greg sighed. "We might never find out. ...Any chance Russell won't hear about this?"

* * *

Unfortunately for Greg, Russell did hear about this. And of course he wasn't pleased. But Greg didn't care. It felt good being able to let the anger out on someone – even if it was a guy that had nothing to do with it. A weight had been lifted off his shoulders and it showed in his face – he was smiling.

Nick walked into the break room where Greg was sitting with this soft face impression he hadn't seen on his friend in a long time. "Hey, I heard about the incident in the interrogation room. Are you alright?"

"Sure," Greg replied smiling.

"You're probably the most complex guy I know, Greg." Nick laughed. "You get attacked by a criminal and smile?"

He shrugged. "The guy just pushed me around a little, I didn't get hurt."

As Nick fumbled through the newspapers lying on the table, he noticed a very interesting looking file on Greg's pile of paperwork. When Greg noticed Nick had seen it, he tried to grab it, but Nick was quicker. "What's this?"

"Nothing, I'm just trying to stay updated." He grabbed it out of Nick's hand.

"You're still off that case, you know that."

"I know. It's just... I don't know why I'm doing this. I just feel like I need to know what happened to her. Maybe then..,"

"You think it'll give you answers, right? Why it was you who she shot at?"

Greg nodded sadly.

"You should get used to the thought of never getting any answers. Right now it looks like all she wanted was to hurt some police officers. It was bad luck you were there, is all."

The younger CSI sighed. "I'm not sure I can live with this explanation."

"Hey. Don't do this." Nick took the files out of Greg's hands and threw them in the trash can. "You'll get over it in no time. As long as you don't obsess about it, that is."

When Nick grabbed a coffee and meant to walk out of the room again, Greg said, "You know... I made an appointment with a shrink."

Nick stopped and turned around to look at Greg. "...That's great."

"Yeah. I know it isn't gonna be easy but... I can't spend the rest of my life the way I am now. I want to be able to have a healthy relationship and be able to go a week without thinking about all the bad stuff that happened."

"I'm proud of you, man. You can do it."


	10. Chapter 10

**Hope you guys still enjoy the story! Here's another chapter!**

* * *

Three days later, Greg was on his way to work as he ran into his neighbor on his way out.

"George, what a nice surprise to see you out here!" Mrs. Dandridge said with a big smile on her face, standing in her doorway.

"...It's Greg, Mrs. Dandridge. What are you doing out here? It's late." He smiled back at her, being a bit more in the mood for small talk than he's been the last time he saw her.

"Oh I heard something outside and wanted to check it out. I thought someone was breaking into one of the apartments, but gladly it was just you!"

"Well next time you think someone's breaking in, look through the spyhole, that's what it's for."

"It's so nice of you to worry about me." She laughed. "I made a cake today. You want to come in and get some?"

He shook his head smiling. "Thank you, but I'm on my way to work."

"Oh..." When Greg wanted to walk away, she approached him again. "So how's your hand doing? You never told me what happened."

"I did. An accident at work, it's fine."

"You're a police officer, right? Did someone shoot at you?"

He knew she meant well, but she was getting on his nerves. Moving on was hard to do when people kept reminding him of the past. "I'm not an officer, I'm a CSI." She kept talking, but he just walked away rather annoyed.

* * *

As Brass walked into the break room, Greg, Nick and Russell were sitting there sipping on their coffee cups. "Hey Greg. I just got a call. We were finally able to identify the Jane Doe."

"...In our case?" Nick asked suspiciously. Him and Russell wondered why Brass told Greg, not them.

"Her mother reported her missing a few days ago. Her name's Naomi Goss and it looks like she dated Daniel Watts," Brass explained.

Greg looked quite shocked. "...Dated? The rapist?"

"The way the mother tells the story they were keeping contact all the time he's been imprisoned. Could you talk to him again?" the detective asked, looking at Greg.

"Sure." Greg got off his seat, but Russell pulled him down again.

"You're not going anywhere," he said with his hand still on Greg's arm.

"Why? He might have the information we need to solve the murder."

"You're not going," Russell said again, interrupting the young CSI while giving Brass a look.

"D.B., maybe we should talk outside..." Brass suggested, knowing what this was about.

"There's nothing to talk about. You'll have to get the information yourself."

"You know that I would if I could, but..."

Nick chimed in. "Maybe I could give it a try."

"Guys. Stop it, I'll do it." Greg tried to get up again, but was held back by Russell once more. "Will you stop doing that?!"

"You really shouldn't do it, Greg. That guy's dangerous."

"He's not. He could've killed me if he wanted to but didn't even hurt me."

"Somehow I don't find that comforting at all."

"...I'm doing this, end of discussion."

"You've endangered him by letting a limping officer protect him at a murder scene, you're not getting another shot at it." Russell had an angry look on his face as he looked at Brass. They didn't resolve their problems with each other over Spencer being out at a scene with Greg despite being injured, yet.

"Russell, I appreciate your concern, but this doesn't have anything to do with your problems with Brass. We need that information." Greg gave him a soft smile.

Nick knew that there was no way to change Greg's mind. "How about I'll be there, too? Make sure that guy won't hurt Greg."

"That's not necessary." Greg sighed.

"He's a big guy, I'm not sure you'd be able to hold him back," Russell said with discomfort in his face.

"I can handle that. And there'll be a uniform present, too."

"I said there's no need to..." Again, Greg was being interrupted.

"You'll have to make sure this guy keeps his distance, you got that, Nick?" Russell gave him a pat on the back.

"Sure. Let's go."

* * *

All the way to the station, Greg didn't say a word.

"Are you alright?" Nick asked his colleague. When Greg didn't answer, he went on. "...There's no need to be scared, I'll be there to make sure he won't hurt you."

"I'm not scared and I don't want you in there," Greg replied angrily. It was hard for him not to yell at Nick at the moment.

"...What?"

"I can do this alone, I don't need you to babysit me!"

"I'm not babysitting you, it's Watts I wanna keep an eye on!"

"You don't have to."

"Yeah but I want to."

Greg rolled his eyes, he was too angry to talk with Nick about this now. They finally reached the interrogation room where Daniel Watts was already waiting for them. Greg put his hand on the doorknob, but hesitated to open the door. "Please don't go in there."

Nick gave Greg a look as he rolled his eyes and opened the door himself.

"...Who are you?" Dan asked confused.

"Hello Dan. This is Nick Stokes, a colleague of mine." Resentment was obvious in Greg's voice. Nick figured it was aimed at the criminal when it really wasn't.

"What's he doing in here?"

"He, uh... works that Jane Doe case."

"So? If you want to know anything, you ask me. They don't get any answers from me."

Brass walked into the room, as well.

"...You heard him, guys." Greg gave them a sign to leave but both didn't.

"Don't mind us, we're just here to observe," Brass replied.

"How about you do that behind that window? Greg, come on. I wanted to apologize. You know I'd never hurt you."

"Didn't look like it when you attacked him." Brass gave him a look.

Dan jumped off his seat angrily. "How about you shut the hell up?!"

While Brass and Dan started bickering, Greg opened the door. "Get out."

"D.B. wants us to stay. **I** want to stay," Nick whispered to his colleague.

"But I don't want you two in here, you're ruining everything."

It took Greg a few minutes to be able to convince Nick to leave the room, but he was successful, after all, with Brass' help. Both walked out, but watched him through the window.

"Thanks, man. You know I'm not comfortable around those clowns." Dan smiled at him. "So... Here it goes. I'm sorry for attacking you the other day. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Thank you..." Greg replied. "But that's not why I'm here. I wanted to talk about her. Her name's Naomi Goss and her mother told us you two were dating for quite a long time."

Dan was silent for a few moments. He looked rather thoughtful. Greg could see the felon having an internal monologue. "I don't know what you're talking about," he finally said. "I don't know her."

"Come on. We found her DNA at the back of your car and her mother says you two dated. Don't play any games with me."

"It's none of your business." Dan got off his seat.

"We checked the visitor's log, she stopped visiting you a few days before she shot at me. Before that, she came by every other day. What happened?"

It took him quite some time, but Dan finally started talking. "I don't know, man. Her last visit was great. We had fun and she said she loved me. She told me she had to take care of some business and that she wasn't able to come visit me the next week, but... She didn't come the following, either." He looked sad at Greg. "Now I know why."

Greg tried not to look too sensitive although he was going through a whole range of emotions at the moment. "Was it random or... Did she try to... take revenge?"

"Revenge?" Dan raised his eyebrows.

"It can't be a coincidence it was me she shot at."

Dan walked a few steps over to Greg. "You don't think I asked her to do it, do you?"

Greg was getting a bit nervous as this big felon was coming closer. "Well, did you?"

"Of course not! Come on, man. You were the only one of those pigs who was nice to me. I don't blame you for my being here."

"...Did Naomi know that?"

"I don't know. I never talked bad about you in front of her."

"...But you did talk about me?"

"Come to think of it, I don't think so."

Greg sighed. "How else did she know about me?"

"I don't know. Maybe you weren't her target, after all." Dan shrugged.

Greg got off his seat. "Well, thanks for your cooperation."

"Hey Greg. Just one more favor, please?"

Annoyance was obvious in Greg's face. He prepared for another ludicrous plead. "...Yeah?"

"Find out what happened to her. I don't know why she wanted to hurt you, but she was a good person."

Despite Greg's disbelief over Naomi Goss' character, he was indeed touched by Dan's affection towards her. He smiled at the felon. "I will."

* * *

Greg bumped into Nick on his way out of the interrogation room.

"Sorry," Nick said, "I was just about to rush in there, had he taken another step towards you."

Greg gave Nick a look before walking past him. "I could've handled it myself."

"You wouldn't stand a chance against this huge guy." Nick followed him. "Are you okay?"

"Stop asking if I'm okay!" He gained speed.

Nick didn't just pretend he was this oblivious to Greg's mood, he actually was. "Did I do something to upset you?"

"You and Russell, you're treating me like a child, you make decisions for me and don't even care how I feel about that!"

"What?! We're only doing this when it's necessary because you'd make a decision that would put you in danger! Like today, you didn't waste a second thinking about going in alone with that monster!"

Greg stopped and turned around before walking out of the station, facing Nick. "I knew what I was doing. I'd say it's evident by the fact that I'm standing here talking to you without a single scratch on me, isn't it? There was no need for you to act like you were my personal bodyguard!"

"But Greg, I..." Nick was left standing there as Greg rushed out of the station.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! I'm SO sorry it took me forever to upload this chapter. It's the last one, but I hope you can take comfort in the fact that I have a few new ideas and that I plan to upload the first chapter to a new story at the weekend!**

**So enjoy the hopefully satisfying ending to this story and thank you SO much for reading, reviewing and just supporting my stories! :)**

**Big Love,**

**pikapikatchu**

* * *

For the rest of the shift, Greg managed to avoid both Russell and Nick. He came home at 9 a.m. and

ran into his neighbor, Mrs. Dandridge, again. "Good morning."

"Hello Greg!" For the first time since he moved here, she got his name right. "How was work?"

"Good, thanks..."

She locked her door and walked a few steps. It was obvious she was walking with a a limp.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Dandridge? Did you hurt your foot?"

She gave him a smile. "I tripped over the stairs earlier today. It's fine."

Greg sighed. He was tired and wanted to get some sleep, but he couldn't watch that poor lady in pain. "Are you on your way to your doctor? I could give you a ride."

"Oh how sweet of you. But I'm going grocery shopping, I don't need a doctor. Would you mind driving me to the store?"

"...Now?"

She nodded. "I just need a few things, I'll hurry."

He sighed. "Sure..."

* * *

Just a few hours later, Greg was back to work. It was just a few minutes before midnight when he sat down at the table in the break room. He was tapping his feet, nervous about seeing Nick and Russell again. Nick walked in with Hodges by his side, nodding at Greg to greet him. He was talking to the trace tech at the moment and they both sat down at the table as well.

When Hodges and Nick finished talking, Greg decided to try and forget about his fight with Nick and act normal. "Any news on the case?"

"Nope," Nick replied emotionless. He couldn't keep this act up for long, though. "...You look tired."

Greg shrugged his shoulder. "I took my neighbor grocery shopping after last night's shift."

"Oh, the hot brunette babe from the third floor?" Hodges asked with a grin on his face. "Way to go, Sanders."

"No." Greg rolled his eyes with a smile. "Mrs. Dandridge from across the hall. She hurt her foot and asked me to drive her..."

"...And suddenly I'm not interested anymore." Hodges walked out.

"You should've said no to her. You can hardly keep your eyes open." Nick pured coffee into a cup and handed it to Greg.

"Thanks... It's fine, after working here for so long I've gotten used to it."

* * *

When Nick and Russell walked into the break room hours later, Greg was lying on the couch. He had fallen asleep a few minutes ago. "...Greg? Hey. Wake up."

"Oh, Nick. ...Russell didn't see me, did he?"

Nick chuckled as Russell answered. "I'm afraid I did."

Greg jumped up. "Sorry. I uh... was just resting my eyes for a few minutes."

"It's okay. Listen, we need your help with our case."

The young CSI rubbed his tired eyes. "Did you make some progress?"

"You could say that. Sara did some thorough background research and we might have a suspect."

"Yeah? Who?" Greg sat down at the table, Nick and Russell followed but didn't take a seat.

"Dan Watts' half-brother."

Greg raised an eyebrow. "He has a half-brother?"

Russell took a look into his files. "Jeff Cassidy. He's a law student and eight years younger than Dan Watts."

Greg stared at Russell. "He just finished college."

"...So you know him?"

Greg shook his head. "I've never met him. Maybe I've seen him at the court hearings, I'm not sure, but he kept talking about him. Why do you think he was the one who killed Naomi?"

"The way you and Spencer describe the suspect... It fits. He stayed in touch with Naomi after Dan got arrested." Russell cleared his throat as he got a picture of Dan's brother Jeff out of the files. "Take a look at him. Is he the guy?"

Greg sighed deeply. "Yeah, it's him."

"Good..." Russell patted Greg's back. "We have enough evidence against him and with you identifying him we'll get a court order for his fingerprints and DNA."

* * *

Over the next few weeks it became evident that Jeff never intended to murder Naomi. But when he found out about her attempted killing spree he wanted to stop her. They ended up arguing about it and she threatened him with a gun. He was able to take it out of her hands, but ended up shooting her with it. The D.A. was very sympathetic towards him and decided not to press any charges. They ruled it self defense and he was off the hook. To thank Greg, Daniel Watts sent him several letters. Greg was standing at the reception desk, taking the letters from Judy. "Thanks."

Nick stood next to him. "Looks like you got a new lover." He patted Greg on the back as he laughed.

"It's nice he wants to thank me, but I didn't even do anything. And five letters is overkill." While Greg looked through the letters, his face suddenly froze. Nick noticed right away. "What's wrong?"

"This one's from Bridget."

"Oh. Why is she sending it to the lab, not your private address?"

Greg shrugged as he opened the envelop. "She's apologizing. Trying to explain her behavior..." Both men were silent as Greg read the letter. When he was done, he folded the paper back together and put it in his pocket. "Working with her will be weird." He had a weird, almost desperate, smile on his face.

"Just for a while. It'll get better over time." When Greg didn't respond, Nick went on. "Do you feel like talking to her?"

The younger CSI shook his head. "What's done is done. She seems to feel the same way, there's nothing to talk about anymore."

"Don't regret telling her about Novak."

"I don't. Well, sometimes I do, but in the end it was the right decision, I guess."

Nick nodded. "She would've found out about it eventually."

"You're probably right..." He gave Nick a soft smile.

"You know, Henry and Hodges want to go to a bar after shift. Wanna come with? You'll either meet a woman or at least be able to watch Henry and Hodges try." Nick smiled at him.

"I don't think I want to meet another woman yet, but making fun of Henry and Hodges will certainly help my mood. I'm in."

* * *

**Ende.**


End file.
